Bouw Botje or the Exact Online Construction API?
Short answer: if you want to query and update your project administration in plain language from ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot, Bouw Botje is the fastest route: no code, connected in minutes. If you want to connect Exact Online Construction (Exact Online Bouw, formerly Bouw7) to your own software or build fixed system-to-system flows, building directly on the API is the better choice. Bouw Botje itself is built on that API.
Choose Bouw Botje if you ask questions and take actions through an AI assistant and do not want to involve a developer. Choose the API if you are building your own application, dashboard or fixed integration, want full control over every call, or need something Bouw Botje does not (yet) support.
Bouw Botje (MCP) vs Building on the API
The key differences side by side.
| Aspect | Bouw Botje (MCP) | Building on the API |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Ready-made MCP server with 206 tools for your AI assistant | The Exact Online Construction API: Heimdall (REST, CRUD) and Apollo (search/query layer) |
| Who it is for | Project managers, estimators, office staff; no technical knowledge needed | Developers or an integration partner |
| How you use it | Natural language in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini and other MCP clients | Code: HTTP calls, queries and your own logic |
| Authentication | Paste the API key once; the AI assistant signs in via OAuth 2.1 with PKCE | Exchange the API key for a bearer token and handle token expiry yourself |
| Rate limits and errors | Handled: automatic retry on a temporary limit | Build it yourself: backoff on HTTP 429, re-authentication, error handling |
| Synchronisation | An isolated, synchronised copy per administration; write actions go straight to Exact Online Construction | Your call: query live or build your own sync with pagination |
| Permissions | Read-only by default; write access enabled per user (Advanced) | The key is organisation-wide; you build permissions yourself |
| Time to first result | Less than 5 minutes of setup | Depends on scope: development and testing work |
| Cost | €39 or €59 per month, or Enterprise on request | Development and maintenance hours (own team or partner) |
| Flexibility | Limited to the available tools | Everything the API offers, in any shape |
| Maintenance | By Industrial IT | By you, including when the API changes |
Which fits your situation?
Honest answer: sometimes the alternative is the better choice.
Choose Bouw Botje if…
- you want to ask things in a chat like “what is the margin on project X?” or “log 8 hours on project Y”;
- you do not have, or do not want to involve, a developer;
- you want to work with several AI assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini and more);
- you want to start quickly: 14-day free trial.
Choose the API if…
- you are connecting Exact Online Construction to your own software, web shop, BI environment or planning tool;
- you want fixed, unattended flows that run without AI and without anyone asking;
- you want full control over every call, field and error path;
- you need features Bouw Botje does not offer, such as work orders, inventory management or payment batches.
How does the Exact Online Construction API work?
Exact Online Construction has two API layers: Heimdall, a REST API for create, read, update and delete, and Apollo, a search and query layer. There is no per-user OAuth login. You work with an organisation-level API key, created in Exact Online Construction (start.bouw7.nl/my-account/api-access). You exchange that key for a bearer token and use the token for your calls.
In practice this means: tokens expire after a short time and must be requested again, too many requests return HTTP 429, and lists are fetched page by page. If you build it yourself, you handle all of that yourself.
What does Bouw Botje do that you would otherwise build?
Bouw Botje provides exactly that technical layer. The API key is stored encrypted, tokens are refreshed automatically, rate limits are absorbed, and your administration’s data is synchronised into its own isolated database. Search and read questions are answered from that copy; create, update and delete actions go directly to Exact Online Construction.
On top of that, Bouw Botje offers an MCP server with 206 tools, so an AI assistant can fetch the right data by itself. You ask the question, the AI picks the tool. The full list is on the MCP tools page.
When is building on the API the better choice?
When you do not want a conversation but a fixed integration. Think of automatically pushing projects to your own planning software, your own customer portal, or a BI dashboard refreshed every night. You do not need an AI assistant for that; predictable, tested code is better. And if you need something Bouw Botje does not support, the API is the way to go.
Can you combine both?
Yes. They are not mutually exclusive: your own integration for the fixed flows, and Bouw Botje for the ad-hoc questions and actions of project managers and office staff. Note that the API key is organisation-wide. Bouw Botje therefore does not follow the permissions of individual Exact users; you control that in Bouw Botje itself (read-only by default, write access per user).
Questions about this comparison
Other comparisons
Try it yourself?
14 days free, then from €39 per month. Connect your administration with an API key and ask your first question.